Trestle



'(No Model.) v

A. W. WEEKS.

TRBSTLE No. 494,358. Patented Mar; 28,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ALBERT W. WEEKS, OF PALMER, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRESTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,358, dated March28, 1 893.

' Application filed March 11, 1892. Serial No. 424,609. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, ALBERT W. WEEKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Palmer, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Trestle, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to trestles, the object being to provide animproved knock-down trestle for supporting tables, work-boards,scaffold-flooring and analogous uses; which trestle-construction islight, but strong and rigid, and may be packed very closely, one partwithin another, for convenient transportation, and the inventionconsists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the severalparts of the trestle, all as hereinafter fully described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is aperspective view of a trestle constructed according to my invention,

said figure indicating, by dotted lines thereon, the positions,relatively, of certain parts before the latter are interlocked with eachother. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, illustrating the trestlemembers assembled or packed for transportation. Fig. 3 is a groupcomposed of the several'separate parts of the trestle, showing the samein side elevation. Fig. 4 is a full size sectional view on line44, Fig.2.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings the several parts of the trestle are clearlyshown, and each consists, preferably, of a piece of tube, either brass,steel or iron.

A, is the top-rail of the trestle, and B, 0, and D, are the legsthereof, and they are arranged for use in the oppositely bracingpositions shown. Said rail, A, is perforated at a point about centrallybetween its ends, and

-near each end thereof, to receive the upper ends of said legs, and oneend of said rail is capped or closed, as shown, in order to make of it asuitable receptacle for portions of the said legs when all are knockeddown for packing and assembled, as shown in Fig. 2. The centralperforation, a, of said rail, A, is preferably made quite through itfrom side to side as shown, in order to afford the end of the leg, 0,which enters said perforation, a firm and rigid engagement therewith.The

perforations, a and a near the ends of said rail which receive the endsof the 1egs,-'B and D, are made preferably through only one side of saidrail, as shown. The extremity of the leg, B, which engages with therail, A, is made of a reduced diameter, thereby forming the"pivot-shaped end, I), to enter the rail perforation, and a bearingshoulder around its base against which the rail rests. The extremity ofthe leg, 0, which engages with the rail, A, is similarly formed with apivot and shoulder. The end of the leg, D, which engages with the rail,A, is not reduced and shouldered as are those of the legs, B and 0, butit enters the perforation, a, through one side of said rail, and its endabuts against the inner opposite side of the latter. The smallerdiameter of the leg, D, obviates the work of reducing its rail-engagingend, one of the objects of said reduction being to prevent making theperforations, a, a a solarge as to unduly weaken said rail.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the leg, B, has a perforation, b,therethrough about midway between its ends, and is formed at an inclineto the axis of said leg. This perforation permits of passing the leg, D,through the last named leg whereby said two legs are arranged in theinterlocked cross-braced positions shown.

Reference to Fig. 1 shows, by the dotted line thereon, about theposition of the upper end of the leg, D, before said end shall have beensprung inwardly far enough to enter the perforation.

It is desirable to cause the legs, B and D, to be with firmness lockedor engaged one with the other at their intersecting points in order toso connect them as to prevent the endwise vibration of the rail, A,without the addition of other parts for said connection. To this end theend of said leg, D, which is flexible, is given such an angle of inclineas to require it to be bent laterally to insure its engagement with saidrail; or, theperforation in said rail is so located as to require saidbending or spring of the leg before its end can be entered therein. Inother words, the engagement of the leg, D, with the rail, A, is to oneside of the termination of the normal line of incline of said leg.Hence, when said leg, D, is engaged with rail, A, as

aforesaid, its upper end is sprung or slightly curved inwardly, asshown, and to operate said engagement the rail, A, is slightly lifted asshown in dotted lines, and then forced downward onto the end of saidleg. Ordinarily, the trestle parts are assembled by first putting therail, A, and legs B and D, together as described, and then putting thethird leg, C, in place on the rail. The springaction of the leg, D, whenengaged with the rail, A, creates such a strong frictional engagement ofthe intersecting parts of the legs, B and D, and imparts such atensional strain to the rail, A, as results in great firmness andrigidity of the frame or truss formed by the parts, A, B and D. The saidlegs or standards, B, C and D, are, as shown, preferably provided withroughened or serrated lower ends b 0, din order to give them suchenengagement with a floor as will prevent their slipping when thetrestle may be loaded. The said three legs or standards, B, O, D, arepreferably of such circumferential dimensions as permits them to bepacked telescopically one within the other, and the rail, A, is adaptedto inclose and protect, by its capped end, the open end of the leg, B,and the adjacent ends of the legs, 0 and D, inclosed by said leg, B.Said rail, A, is preferably made to slide somewhat tightly over the openend of the leg, B, whereby it is properly retained on the latter. Theclosed end of the rail, A, prevents any of the trestle-parts sliding outfrom said rail through said end during transportation.

that I claim as my invention is 1. A knock-down trestle consisting of atoprail, two cross-braced legs, one engaging by one end with said railand having a perforation therethrough from side to side about midwaybetween its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof, andthe other of said two legs passing through said perforation and engagingwith said rail, combined with a third leg engaging also with said railby one end and arranged in laterally and oppositely bracing position tosaid two firstnamed legs, substantially as set forth.

2. A knock-down trestle consisting of a toprail having side perforationsto receive the ends of the legs, two cross-braced legs, one engaging byone end in one of said perforations in the rail, and having aperforation therethrough from side to side about midway between itsextremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof; and one legpassing through said leg-perforation and having its upper end bentlaterally and engaged with one of said rail-perforations, combined witha third leg engaging also with said rail by one end and arranged in alaterally and oppositely bracing position to said two firstnamed legs,substantially as set forth.

3. A knock-down trestle consisting of a toprail having side perforationsto receive the ends of the legs, two cross-braced legs, one

engaging by one end in one of said perforations in the rail, and havinga perforation therethrough from side to side about midway between itsextremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof; and one legpassing through said leg-perforation and having its upper extremityengaged with said rail to one side of the termination of the normal lineof incline thereof, combined with a third leg engaging also with saidrail by one end arranged in a laterally and oppositely bracing positionto said two first-named legs, substantially as set forth.

4. A knock-down trestle consisting of a tubular top-rail having sideperforations to receive the ends of the legs, two tubular cross-bracedlegs, one engaging by one end in one of said perforations in the rail,and having a perforation therethrough from side to side about midwaybetween its extremities formed at an incline to the axis thereof; andone leg passing through said leg-perforation and having its upper endbent laterally and engaged with one of said rail-perforations, wherebythe intersecting parts of said two legs are caused to have a firmfrictional engagement, and a tensional strain is imparted to said rail,combined with a third leg engaging also with said rail by one endarranged in a laterally and oppositely bracing position to said twofirst named legs, substantially as set forth.

5. A knock-down trestle consisting of a tubular top-rail having one endclosed and having side perforations to receive the ends of the legs, twotubular cross-braced legs, one engaging by one end in one of saidperforations in the rail and having a perforation therethrongh from sideto side about midway between its extremities formed at an incline to theaxis thereof, and one leg passing through said leg-perforation and bentlaterally and engaging by its upper extremity with one of saidrail-perforations combined with a third tubular leg engaging also withsaid rail by one end and arranged in laterally and oppositely bracingposition to said two first.

named legs, said rail and legs being adapted, substantially asdescribed, for longitudinal telescopic assemblage, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

6. A knock-down trestle consisting of a tubular top-rail having one endclosed and leg-perforations for the engagement of the ends of thetrestle-legs therewith combined with three tubular trestle-legs,substantially as set forth, said rail and legs being of varyingdiameters whereby, upon knocking down the trestle, said legs areassembled one within the other, and partially within said rail,substantially as set forth.

ALBERT l/V. WEEKS.

\Vitnesses:

R. F. BURR, O. V. WEEKS.

